Happily Ever After?
by lordofthepringles
Summary: Reid makes a choice that could impact his happily ever after.


"What in the hell are you doing, Reid?"

Reid was standing in the middle of the hospital just staring as if he had seen a ghost.

Reid snapped out of it to see Doogie Hughes standing in front of him,

"I'm standing in the hallway of a hospital, Doogie. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Maybe I have", Reid muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Oliver?"

"Nothing. Don't you have to go back to Pediatrics to play the clown?"

Chris rolled his eyes and walked down the hall.

Reid thought he must be losing it. He really thought he had seen Luke Snyder, which was impossible, considering Luke moved to New York to help with the shipping company, two years prior, and had not been back in Oakdale since.

Reid figured he must need caffeine and headed to the break room.

He walked in made himself some coffee and rubbed his eyes. He was in the middle of a thirty-six hour shift, with only an hour left to go.

He heard the door open and figured it was Chris being annoying like usual,

"I told you Doogie, Pediatrics is on the first floor, I should really tattoo the directions on your arm so you don't get lost again."

He heard someone clear their throat, and knew instantly it wasn't Chris.

He began to wonder what kind of coffee he was drinking, since he was clearly have hallucinations.

There standing in the doorway was Mr. Snyder.

Reid rubbed his eyes harder to get them to focus correctly,

"You're not imagining me, Reid."

"What are you doing in the break room of Oakdale Memorial Hospital, Mr. Snyder?"

"I'm here to see you, before I got back to New York."

"And the reason being?"

"I missed you. I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, you missed me for two years, pretty well without contact, before. I'm sure you could do just fine without talking to me."

Reid stood up, rinsed his mug out, and turned to leave.

Luke grabbed his arm,

"Please, Reid. I really need to talk to you."

"I have to finish rounds before I get off. And I just pulled a 36 hour shift. I am in no shape or mood to talk to anyone, let alone you."

He could see hurt flash across Luke's face.

"I'll tell you what. If you are still around tomorrow, meet for coffee at Java's at 11, before I head to work. Then you can talk my ear off, while I pretend to listen."

Luke smiled then,

"It's a date. I'll see you tomorrow."

Reid turned to leave and could feel Luke watching him as he left.

Reid went home and flopped down on the couch.

"Long day?"

"The longest. I just pulled a thirty six hour shift."

"Reid, you really need to cut back on that. You're going to put yourself in an early grave."

"Yeah, well… working is better than sitting here alone at night, while you and Doogie plan your wedding and do romantic crap."

"Reid, you really need to get back on the dating horse. It's been two years."

"It's funny, you'd tell me that today of all days."

"Funny how?"

"Well not humorous funny so much as ironic funny. Luke is back in town for a few days, visiting his family and he came to see me." 

"Are you kidding me?"

"Do you ever know me to kid about things like that?"

"Wow. So… what did he have to say?"

"I don't know. I told him to talk to me tomorrow. So we're having coffee at Javas."

"Reid, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No, but I need closure."

"I just don't want you to get hurt. Do you want me to call your pager in the middle of coffee to get you out?"

"Katie, I'm a grown ass man. I don't need you meddling."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Reid dragged himself to bed then, knowing tomorrow was going to be emotionally grueling.

The next morning, Reid got his usual was sitting at a table reading the paper.

He saw Luke out of the corner of his eye walk in and get a latte.

Luke sat down across from him and took the paper out of Reid's hands.

"Hey, I was reading that!"

"The Cubs beat the Braves four to three."

Reid was annoyed that after two years, Luke still knew him so well.

"So what's this big important stuff you need to talk to me about?"

"I started writing again when I moved to New York."

"Really?"  
"Yeah, it was cathartic for me, to get words down on paper. And I ended up writing a book."

"Wow. That's great, Luke."  
"Thanks, Reid. The thing is that my friend Matt found it and sent to major publishers around the country, and one wants to buy the manuscript. And the story is about our life together, and I just wanted to make sure that you would be alright with the story being published."

Reid sat back and watched Luke nervously play with his cup.

"Can I read it before I decide anything?"

"Sure. I was expecting you to say that, when I came."

Luke handed Reid a copy of the manuscript.

"I have to head back to New York, for major meetings, but you can call me anytime with your answer."

Luke dropped a kiss on Reid's cheek and left then.

Reid felt his heart constrict watching Luke leave town for the second time. The first time, Reid was in too much shock to understand what Luke leaving meant, but now, Reid understood. He was fairly certain he would never see Luke again.

Luke and Reid had something, neither quite knew how to define it. They only knew that it was there and it wasn't going away.. Luke had told Reid that he made his decision long before Noah had punched him in the nose. Then Bob walked in on them kissing, while Luke tended to Reid's broken nose. All hell had broken loose. Bob told Reid that he had a choice, he could stay on and supervise the Neurology wing, or he could step down and have a relationship with Luke.

Reid knew the brevity of the relationship though. He recalled the times that Luke couldn't or wouldn't give him an answer about where they stood, or the times Luke would say he liked Reid and had feelings for him, then immediately run back to his ex boyfriend.

Reid made the decision to choose his job and he had regretted that choice, ever since then.

When Luke found out, he didn't say anything to Reid. He didn't get upset or fight it or, or make a scene. He accepted Reid's choice, and he moved away.

And now two years later, Reid still pined after Luke and what might have been, if he hadn't been so afraid to finally trust Luke and let him in completely.

Reid sighed and picked up the manuscript.

He walked out of Javas and headed to the park.

He sat down and opened the book. He read about the handsome jackass of a doctor who swept the young inexperienced millionaire off his feet.

He read about the elevator experience, and all the times the hot doctor and the young stud snarked. Reid was impressed.

Luke captured their story perfectly. Reid was enthralled by the manuscript and read up until the final chapter.

He wasn't sure he wanted to read anymore. He knew the ending. But he read it anyways.

He read about the doctor having to choose between the young stud and his career, and the doctor chose his career, because the young stud had been wishy- washy, and reckless with his feelings. He had never given the doctor a reason to fight for them, and the young stud moved away, to start his own career, but the young stud never stopped thinking about, caring for, or loving the hot doctor.

Reid was stunned, this wasn't their ending.

At the end of the book there was a handwritten note,

_Reid, I'm sorry that I walked away when you chose your job. I was selfish and immature, and in my two years apart from you, I realized that I never once considered your feelings about the situation. I'm glad you chose your job, because it gave me time to grow up and to realize what I truly want out of life. What I want is to find a man who will love me with half as much of the love and kindness you gave to me, even when I was being a selfish jerk. I want to wake up next to him every morning and realize that we got our happy ending. What I really want is you, Reid, but if your happy ending is with someone else, then all I want is for you to be happy._

_-Luke_

Reid closed the manuscript then. He was at a crossroads. He could get closure and let Luke publish the book with the true ending, or he could go to New York and risk everything on love. He knew though, deep in his heart and in his brain, what the right answer was.

So he picked up the phone and called Luke, who was still on the flight. He got his voicemail.

"Hey Luke, this is Reid. I just read the manuscript. Go ahead and publish the story. Good luck with the book."

Reid hung up the phone.

Six hours later, Luke stepped into his offices and sat at his desk. He checked his message to see he had received one from Reid.

He knew what the answer was, even before he listened to the voicemail.

He sighed then. That was their ending. It may not have been happy, but it was an ending.

"Did you really think I was going to let you leave me twice?"

Reid stepped out of the shadows with the manuscript in his hand.

Luke who had been trying to hold back tears, let them go.

"You're such a jackass, Reid. Why would you do that?"

"I don't know, maybe because I'm a jackass."

Reid went over to Luke,

"We deserve our happy ending, Luke. Both you and I. I don't want to go two more years, two more days, two more seconds without being with you."

Luke was laughing and crying, trying to sort through his feelings in that moment,

"I am at a loss for words, Reid."

"Good. It's about damn time."

Reid covered Luke's mouth with his then and kissed him for the first time in two years.

When they broke apart, both panting, Reid picked up the manuscript again,

"Please tell me you are going to write a better ending."

"Well, the authors said, the book needed a happy ending, and the only happy ending I could think of was where I got the guy."

"Good thing, I'm a sucker for happy endings."

"Wait… happy endings, what about your job?"

"Bob made me chief of staff a little over two months ago. You are no longer on the board. We are free to do what we wish."

"Wow, we really did get our happy ending."

"Well that depends…"

"On what?"

"Will you come home, Luke?"

"Confession time? When I came home this week, I was searching for houses to buy. I was planning on coming back for awhile."

Reid sighed in relief, and kissed Luke.

They got wrapped up then, kissing and touching and remembering everything about each other.

After making love, Luke lay in Reid's arms.

"I want to go home tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

So Luke got the company plane and they flew home to Oakdale.

Reid and Luke went to Katie's and held each other in Reid's bed.

They were in no hurry, just enjoying the feel of finally being together, with no obstacles and nothing holding them back.

The next morning, Katie went in to get Reid's laundry and saw them together.

She grinned as she slowly backed out,

She picked Jacob up,

"And they lived happily ever after."


End file.
